Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing secretary general of the NATO military alliance, has been officially named the new head of the Munich Security Conference, one of the most important international forums for security policy.
He is expected to take over from the current director, Christoph Heusgen, after the next conference in February.
The appointment was widely reported a few weeks ago and has now been officially confirmed.
“I have dedicated my entire political life to maintaining peace. It is a great honor for me to chair the Munich Security Conference and contribute to its mission of ‘peace through dialogue’,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
He will leave his post as NATO chief in October after 10 years in the role, during which he was a regular guest at the conference.
The Munich Security Conference was founded in 1963. Every year in February, heads of state and prime ministers, ministers, military experts and representatives of the arms industry meet in the Bavarian capital in southern Germany to discuss security policy issues.
“With his global reputation and immense experience, Jens will lead the conference into an even more important and global role,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the body’s Foundation Council.